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I have a love/hate relationship with this plane. In 2014 I got to visit the AF Museum in Dayton, OH. With all the exceptional exhibits there it is completely

I have a love/hate relationship with this plane. In 2014 I got to visit the AF Museum in Dayton, OH. With all the exceptional exhibits there it is completely obvious the XB-70 is THE crown jewel in that museum. And it snowed while we were visiting and they shut down the hangar with the XB-70 because it required a shuttle ride. So now I still have on my bucket list to see it.

yabones 2y ago
Go back, it's so worth it. I stood under those six massive turbojets and looked up in absolute awe. It's a miracle that they didn't cut it up for scrap and left a really fabulous museum piece when the project ended.
- pinewurst 2y ago
  Because we're not the British or Canadians who felt they had to make their military R&D decisions irreversible by destroying all the evidence (e.g. TSR2, Avro Arrow, etc).
  - dangermouse 2y ago
    In fact there is a TSR-2 at the Imperial War Museum Duxford.
    - pinewurst 2y ago
      It was a violation of orders as all airframes were explicitly ordered to be destroyed and burned.
lizknope 2y ago
I went in 2010. Took the bus onto the air base to the experimental plane hangar. We only had 1 hour. I could have easily spent 3 hours there. I mainly wanted to see the YF-23 but here's a pic I took with a fisheye lens of the back of the YF-23 with the XB-70 above. I think they have since moved the planes to a different hangar. https://imgur.com/a/yf-23-xb-70-above-GFZDaYy https://imgur.com/a/yf-23-xb-70-above-GFZDaYy
JKCalhoun 2y ago
Always good to have a reason to return. (I tell my family that on every stop on our road trips & vacations.)
wanderingmoose 2y ago
I have a love/hate relationship as well, mostly because I grew up within bicycling distance and spent way too much time at the museum. The XB-70 used to be parked outside right in front of the main entrance. The cool thing is they also have the X-3, which seems like the same design family so you can see the test article then the attempt at a usable aircraft. It was also the location of one of the most bonkers thing I've ever seen which was when they relocated an SR-71 to the museum and landed it on this very short old runway at the site. That thing was so big and so fast and that runway even at the time seemed so short. Here's a vid. I saw it from the road off the end of the threshold and it looked like it was going to hit the fence on the landing pass. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib1EXdIam44 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib1EXdIam44
- retrocryptid 2y ago
  we lived in rona hills for about 4 years. not biking distance, but close enough to visit frequently. and as a youngster they let me conduct the AF orchestra there at the AF 25th anniversary. Very good memories.
- kubanczyk 2y ago
  Whoa. Aircraft carrier approaches, just without arresting wires.
jghn 2y ago
The only time I went to the AF Museum was in the early 80s while in grade school. I still remember that thing. It was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. I was completely floored.
agloe_dreams 2y ago
The AF Museum is probably the best air museum in the world. Of course, you have the Smithsonian in DC, but the size limits and general audience they expect really tones it down. You end up with a couple insane exhibits (Command Module, X-15, Wright flyer) but they all feel out of context. I actually preferred the annex with the Shuttle more. The AF museum is our modern history and society shown through the lens of the air and is insane in size.
Jeema101 2y ago
It's back in the main exhibit now AFAIK. They completed a 4th hangar some years back and towed it back there: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WptDcLKTYSM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WptDcLKTYSM

yabones 2y ago

Go back, it's so worth it. I stood under those six massive turbojets and looked up in absolute awe. It's a miracle that they didn't cut it up for scrap and left a really fabulous museum piece when the project ended.

pinewurst 2y ago
Because we're not the British or Canadians who felt they had to make their military R&D decisions irreversible by destroying all the evidence (e.g. TSR2, Avro Arrow, etc).
- dangermouse 2y ago
  In fact there is a TSR-2 at the Imperial War Museum Duxford.
  - pinewurst 2y ago
    It was a violation of orders as all airframes were explicitly ordered to be destroyed and burned.

lizknope 2y ago

I went in 2010. Took the bus onto the air base to the experimental plane hangar. We only had 1 hour. I could have easily spent 3 hours there. I mainly wanted to see the YF-23 but here's a pic I took with a fisheye lens of the back of the YF-23 with the XB-70 above. I think they have since moved the planes to a different hangar. https://imgur.com/a/yf-23-xb-70-above-GFZDaYy https://imgur.com/a/yf-23-xb-70-above-GFZDaYy

JKCalhoun 2y ago

Always good to have a reason to return. (I tell my family that on every stop on our road trips & vacations.)

wanderingmoose 2y ago

I have a love/hate relationship as well, mostly because I grew up within bicycling distance and spent way too much time at the museum. The XB-70 used to be parked outside right in front of the main entrance. The cool thing is they also have the X-3, which seems like the same design family so you can see the test article then the attempt at a usable aircraft. It was also the location of one of the most bonkers thing I've ever seen which was when they relocated an SR-71 to the museum and landed it on this very short old runway at the site. That thing was so big and so fast and that runway even at the time seemed so short. Here's a vid. I saw it from the road off the end of the threshold and it looked like it was going to hit the fence on the landing pass. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib1EXdIam44 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib1EXdIam44

retrocryptid 2y ago
we lived in rona hills for about 4 years. not biking distance, but close enough to visit frequently. and as a youngster they let me conduct the AF orchestra there at the AF 25th anniversary. Very good memories.
kubanczyk 2y ago
Whoa. Aircraft carrier approaches, just without arresting wires.

jghn 2y ago

The only time I went to the AF Museum was in the early 80s while in grade school. I still remember that thing. It was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. I was completely floored.

agloe_dreams 2y ago

The AF Museum is probably the best air museum in the world. Of course, you have the Smithsonian in DC, but the size limits and general audience they expect really tones it down. You end up with a couple insane exhibits (Command Module, X-15, Wright flyer) but they all feel out of context. I actually preferred the annex with the Shuttle more. The AF museum is our modern history and society shown through the lens of the air and is insane in size.

Jeema101 2y ago

It's back in the main exhibit now AFAIK. They completed a 4th hangar some years back and towed it back there: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WptDcLKTYSM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WptDcLKTYSM